Wet and High Adventures Ltd Safeguarding Policy
Introduction
All personnel working or helping within Wet and High Adventures Ltd must ensure that:
• The welfare of the child is paramount;
• All children and vulnerable adults, whatever their age, culture, disability, gender, language, racial origin religious beliefs and/or sexual identity have the right to protection from abuse;
• All suspicions and allegations of abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately;
• All staff (paid/unpaid) have a responsibility to report concerns to the appropriate officer. (Note: Staff/volunteers are not trained to deal with situations of abuse or to decide if abuse has occurred.)
• Gwilym Starks is the Nominated Child Protection Officer for Wet and High Adventures Ltd and can be contacted on 07887 737076.
Policy Statement
Wet and High Adventures Ltd has a duty of care to safeguard from harm all children involved in any of our events and activities. All children have a right to protection, and the needs of disabled children and others who may be particularly vulnerable must be taken into account. Wet and High Adventures Ltd will ensure the safety and protection of all children involved in our activities and events through adherence to these Child Protection guidelines.
A child is defined as a person under the age of 18 (The Children Act 1989).
Policy Aims
The aim of the Wet and High Adventures Ltd.’s Child Protection Policy is to promote good practice:
• Providing children and young people with appropriate safety and protection whilst in the care of Wet and High Adventures Ltd.
• Allowing all staff /volunteers to make informed decisions and give confident responses to specific child protection issues.
Promoting Good Practice
Child abuse, particularly sexual abuse, can arouse strong emotions in those facing such a situation. It is important to understand these feelings and not allow them to interfere with your judgement about the appropriate action to take.
Abuse can occur within many situations including the home, school and the sporting environment. Some individuals will actively seek employment or voluntary work with young people in order to harm them. A coach, instructor, teacher, official or volunteer will have regular contact with young people and be an important link in identifying cases where they need protection. All suspicious cases of poor practice should be reported following the guidelines in this document.
Outdoor activities and sports can play a crucial role in improving a child’s self-esteem. We work with many types of organisations bringing children from many differing environments and backgrounds and in all instances Wet and High Adventures Ltd must work to ensure the child receives the most appropriate support.
Good Practice Guidelines
All personnel should be encouraged to demonstrate exemplary behaviour in order to protect themselves from false allegations. The following are common sense examples of how to create a positive culture and climate.
Good practice means:
• Always working in an open environment (e.g. avoiding private or unobserved situations and encouraging open communication with no secrets).
• Treating all young people/disabled adults with respect and dignity.
• Always putting the welfare of each young person first, before achieving goals or winning.
• Maintaining a safe and appropriate distance (e.g. it is not appropriate for staff or volunteers to have an intimate relationship with a child or to share a room with them).
• Building relationships based on mutual trust, which empowers children to share in the decision-making process.
• Making activities fun, enjoyable and promoting fair play, without prejudice.
• Ensuring that if any form of manual/physical support is required, it should be provided openly and appropriately.
Care is needed, as it is difficult to position hands appropriately in certain circumstances. Young people should ideally be consulted and their agreement gained where possible. Some parents are becoming increasingly sensitive about manual support and their views should always be carefully considered.
• Keeping up to date with technical skills, qualifications and insurance in outdoor activities.
• Involving parents/carers/teachers whenever appropriate. For example, engaging them to take responsibility for their children in the changing rooms. If groups have to be supervised in the changing rooms, try to ensure that parents, teachers, instructors or volunteers work in pairs.
• Ensuring that where possible, a male and female member of staff should always accompany mixed groups. However, remember that same-gender abuse can also occur.
• Ensuring that during residential events, adults should avoid entering children’s bedrooms and should never invite children into their private rooms.
• Being an excellent role model – this includes not smoking or drinking alcohol in the company of young people.
• Giving enthusiastic and constructive feedback rather than negative criticism.
• Recognising the developmental needs and capacity of young people with and without disabilities – avoiding excessive physical activity or competition and not pushing them against their will.
• Securing parental consent in writing for the child’s participation, if the need arises to administer emergency first aid and/or other medical treatment.
• Keeping a written record of any incident or accident that occurs, along with the details of any treatment given.
Practices to be Avoided
The following should be avoided except in emergencies. If cases arise where these situations are unavoidable it should be with the full knowledge and consent of the Event Coordinator, Course Director, Party leader or the child’s parents. For example, a child sustains an injury and needs to go to hospital, or a parent fails to arrive to pick a child up at the end of a session:
• Avoid spending excessive amounts of time alone with children away from others.
• Avoid taking a child in a private vehicle.
Practices never to be sanctioned
The following should never be sanctioned. You should never:
• Engage in rough, physical or sexually provocative games, including horseplay.
• Share a room with a child.
• Allow or engage in any form of inappropriate touching.
• Allow children to use inappropriate language unchallenged.
• Make sexually suggestive comments to a child, even in fun.
• Reduce a child to tears as a form of control.
• Allow allegations made by a child to go unchallenged, unrecorded or not acted upon.
• Do things of a personal nature for children or disabled adults, which they can do for themselves.
• Invite or allow children to stay with you at your home unsupervised.
N.B. It may sometimes be necessary for staff or volunteers to do things of a personal nature for children, particularly if they are young or are disabled. There is a need to be responsive to a person’s reactions. If a person is fully dependent on you, talk with him/her about what you are doing and give choices where possible. This is particularly so if you are involved in any dressing or undressing of outer clothing, or where there is physical contact, spotting, lifting or assisting a child to carry out particular activities. Avoid taking on the responsibility for tasks for which you are not appropriately trained.
Incidents That Must Be Reported/Recorded
If any of the following occur you should report this immediately to the Event Coordinator or to another colleague and record the incident. It may also be appropriate to ensure the parents of the child are informed:
• If you accidentally hurt a child.
• If he/she seems distressed in any manner.
• If a child appears to be sexually aroused by your actions.
• If a child misunderstands or misinterprets something you have done.
Use Of Photographic/Filming and Digital Imaging Equipment
All staff should be vigilant to ensure that outdoor activity events are not used as an opportunity to take inappropriate photographs or film footage of young and disabled people in vulnerable positions, and any concerns should be reported to the Event Coordinator and the Nominated Child Protection Officer.
Children and their parents/carers should be made aware that this is part of the intended coaching programme and such films should be stored safely or destroyed after use.
Recruitment and Training of Staff and Volunteers
Wet and High Adventures Ltd recognises that anyone may have the potential to abuse children in some way and that reasonable steps should be taken to ensure unsuitable people are prevented from working with children.
Where a member of staff is required to work unsupervised and in a nature that leaves opportunity for abuse, the following checks must be made:
• Where we consider it necessary to seek further information, consent should be obtained from an applicant to seek information from the Criminal Records Bureau.
Induction
All associates (and volunteers) should receive formal or informal induction, during which:
• Their qualifications should be substantiated.
• Our requirements and their responsibilities should be clarified.
• They should agree to work within the organisation’s Health & Safety Policy and this Child Protection Policy in which procedures are explained.
Training
In addition to pre-selection checks, the safeguarding process includes raising awareness through discussion to help staff and volunteers to:
• Analyse their own practice against established good practice, and to ensure their practice is likely to protect them from false allegations.
• Recognise their responsibilities and report any concerns about suspected poor practice or possible abuse.
• Respond to concerns expressed by a child or young person.
• Work safely and effectively with children.
Wet and High Adventures Ltd requires that:
• All associates read the advisory information herein outlining good practice and informing them about what to do if they have concerns about the behaviour of an adult towards a young person or one young person to another;
• All associates are first aid practitioners;
Responding to Allegations or Suspicions
It is not the responsibility of anyone working within Wet and High Adventures Ltd in a paid or unpaid capacity to decide whether or not child abuse has taken place. However there is a responsibility to act on any concerns initially through liaison with the Event Coordinator and then through contact with the appropriate authorities.
Wet and High Adventures Ltd will assure all staff/volunteers that it will fully support and protect anyone, who in good faith reports his or her concern that another person is, or may be, abusing a child.
Where there is a complaint against a member of staff there may be three types of investigation:
• A criminal investigation.
• A child protection investigation.
• An internal disciplinary or misconduct investigation.
Action If There Are Concerns
1. Concerns about poor practice:
• If, following consideration, the allegation is clearly about poor practice, the Nominated Child Protection Officer (Gwilym Starks) will deal with it as a misconduct issue.
• If the allegation is about poor practice by the Nominated Protection Officer, or if the matter has been handled inadequately and concerns remain, it should be reported to the relevant officer who will decide how to deal with the allegation and whether or not to initiate disciplinary proceedings.
2. Concerns about suspected abuse
• Any suspicion that a child has been abused by either a member of staff or a volunteer should be reported to the
Nominated Child Protection Officer, who will take such steps as considered necessary to ensure the safety of the child in question and any other child who may be at risk.
• The Nominated Child Protection Officer will refer the allegation to the social services department who may involve the police, or go directly to the police if out-of-hours.
• The parents or carers of the child will be contacted as soon as possible following advice from the social services department.
• If the Nominated Child Protection Officer is the subject of the suspicion/allegation, the associate making the allegation must decide whether direct feedback is sufficient (e.g. possibly in the case of inappropriate handling during an activity without breach of trust or confidence) or whether the report should be made to Social Services or the Police.
Confidentiality
Every effort should be made to ensure that confidentiality is maintained for all concerned. Information should be handled and disseminated on a need to know basis only. This includes the following people:
• The Nominated Child Protection Officer (Gwilym Starks).
• The parents of the person who is alleged to have been abused.
• The person making the allegation.
• Social services/police.
• The alleged abuser (and parents if the alleged abuser is a child).
Recorded information will be stored in a secure place with limited access to designated people, in line with data protection laws (e.g. that information is accurate, regularly updated, relevant and secure).
Internal Enquiries and Suspension
• Wet and High Adventures Ltd’s Nominated Child Protection Officer will make an immediate decision about whether any individual accused of abuse should be temporarily suspended from operation pending further inquiries.
• Irrespective of the findings of the social services or police inquiries Wet and High Adventures Ltd’s Nominated Child Protection Officer will assess all individual cases to decide whether a member of staff or volunteer can be reinstated and how this can be sensitively handled. The welfare of the child will remain of paramount importance throughout.
Support To Deal With The Aftermath of Abuse:
• Consideration should be given to the kind of support that children, parents and members of staff may need. Use of helplines, support groups and open meetings can help to maintain an open culture and help the healing process. Social Services within the local area will be able to provide advice.
• Consideration should also be given to what kind of support may be appropriate for the alleged perpetrator.
Allegations of previous abuse
Allegations of abuse may be made some time after the event (e.g. by an adult who was abused as a child or by a member of staff who is still currently working with children).
Where such an allegation is made, we should follow the procedures as detailed above and report the matter to the social services or the police. This is because other children, either within or outside outdoor activity instruction, schools, education and sports coaching, may be at risk from this person. Anyone who has a previous criminal conviction for offences related to abuse is automatically excluded from working with children. This is reinforced by the details of the Protection of Children Act 1999.
Action if Bullying is Suspected
If bullying is suspected, the same procedure should be followed as set out in ‘Responding to suspicions or allegations’ above.
Advice and action to help the victim and prevent bullying:
• Take all signs of bullying very seriously.
• Encourage all children to speak and share their concerns (it is believed that up to 12 children per year commit suicide as a result of bullying, so if anyone talks about or threatens suicide, seek professional help immediately). Help the victim to speak out and tell the Event Coordinator and the Nominated Child Protection Officer (Gwilym Starks) and the party leader where appropriate. Create and maintain an open communication environment.
• The Event Coordinator and/or the Nominated Child Protection Officer (Gwilym Starks) must investigate all allegations appropriately and take action to ensure the victim is safe. This may involve speaking with the victim and the perpetrator(s) separately, offering reassurance that you can be trusted and will help them, although you cannot promise not to tell others.
• Record the incident or suspected incident and keep records of what is said (what happened, by whom, when).
• Report any concerns to the Nominated Child Protection Officer or the school (wherever the bullying is occurring).
Action Towards the Bully(ies):
• Talk with the bully(ies), explain the situation, and try to get them to understand the consequences of their behaviour. Consider whether seeking an apology to the victim(s) is appropriate.
• Inform the party leader, teacher or parents.
• Insist on the return of any 'borrowed' items and that the bully(ies) compensate the victim where appropriate.
• Provide support for the victim's teacher, party leader or parent.
• Impose sanctions as you think appropriate or necessary.
• Encourage and support the bully(ies) to change behaviour and offer opportunities for re-engagement within the group and activity.
• Share progress with accompanying teachers, party leaders and parents and report as required to the Event Coordinator.
• Inform all Key associates of action taken if they are to work with either the perpetrator or the victim.
• Record action taken on an incident report form.
3. Concerns outside the immediate environment (e.g. a parent, teacher or carer):
• Report your concerns to the Nominated Child Protection Officer, or the Event Coordinator who should decide whether to contact social services or the police as soon as possible.
• If the Nominated Child Protection Officer or the Event Coordinator is not available, the person being told of or discovering the abuse should consider whether to contact social services or the police immediately.
• Social Services and the Nominated Child Protection Officer will decide how to involve the parents, carer or teacher.
• Maintain confidentiality on a need to know basis only.
4. Information for social services or the police about suspected abuse:
To ensure that this information is as helpful as possible, a detailed record should always be made, ideally at the time of the disclosure/concern, which should include the following:
• The child's name, age and date of birth.
• The child's home address and telephone number.
• Whether or not the person making the report is expressing their own concerns or those of someone else.
• The nature of the allegation. Include dates, times, any special factors and other relevant information.
• Make a clear distinction between what is fact, opinion or hearsay.
• A description of any visible bruising or other injuries. Also any indirect signs, such as behavioural changes.
• Details of witnesses to the incidents.
• The child’s account, if it can be given, of what has happened and how any bruising or other injuries occurred.
• Have the parents been contacted?
• If so what has been said?
• Has anyone else been consulted? If so record details.
• If the child was not the person who reported the incident, has the child been spoken to? If so what was said?
• Has anyone been alleged to be the abuser? Record details.
• Where possible referral to the police or social services should be confirmed in writing within 24 hours and the name of the contact who took the referral should be recorded.
If you are worried about sharing concerns about abuse within Wet and High Adventures Ltd, to the Nominated Child Protection Officer a customer, client or colleague, you can contact social services or the police direct, or the NSPCC Child Protection Helpline on 0808 800 5000, or Childline on 0800 1111. You can text the NSPCC on 88858
Contacting Social Services
Each locality has its own Social Services, the number for which can be found in the local telephone directory. Ask for Social Services Customer Service and then the Child Protection Unit.
This Policy is intended to be readable, easily understood and to offer a clear statement of our intentions and actions. It is important that all associates are able to implement this policy. Please contact Gwilym Starks 07887737076, or info@wetandhigh.co.uk if you would like more information, clearer guidelines, or to suggest appropriate changes to the policy and it’s wording.